After completing the first full week of my inquiry, I want to explore different ways to track my workouts to stay accountable and monitor my progress throughout this inquiry. I would like a simple visual of my progress that is easy to enter while I am working out, such as how many repetitions I did or how much weight I used. Entering while I am working out allows me to better track my weight or reps throughout my workout. I have been roughly keeping up with my schedule as intended. On Tuesday, I went for a walk with my dog around the block near my house. On Wednesday, I walked with my friend Ella. On Friday, I missed my workout, so this week I will try again to complete 3 workouts.

Exploring this tracking, I used AI to generate options for platforms or document formats to use. I chose to use ChatGPT and asked it to suggest ways to track my reps and weight during each workout, including free platforms or formatting options. For the first output, it suggested only one free platform, Strong, and the other option was to use Google Sheets (with a template). After another prompt, ChatGPT listed other workout apps for planning, tracking, and logging. Here is the link for the chat history.

I downloaded the Strong app to track my workout progress. The app is pretty intuitive to use, allowing me to add a workout including all the exercises for that day. When adding these exercises, the app uses a master list and includes images that highlight which muscles each exercise targets. I really like this feature because it not only helps me learn the names of each exercise but also makes me more aware of the muscles being activated during each one. This video shares how to use the app. I use my Apple Watch to track my workouts because it measures my heart rate and estimates calories burned, but the Strong app can also track workouts in real time. The one part about this app I am still exploring is adding the weights and repetitions of each exercise. This would allow me to better track my workouts and progress. I will continue to explore this platform and see if it works well for my use. Another online platform I have looked into is Strava. Strava is a good way to share workouts and quickly log your activity time and distance. I don’t believe it tracks the weights for each gym exercise, so this may be tricky. I anticipate needing to use multiple platforms to track all my activities, which is acceptable to me. I will likely use my Apple Watch and the Strong app for now. Below are some images of the Strong app.

How does this relate to education?

Since I have already learned that not every platform can be used for the same tracking of my workouts, the same principle applies to tracking student learning in the classroom. No single platform or template will work across all subjects in classroom learning. It is important to keep in mind that I will need to use two different ways to assess and track student learning, and that sometimes I will need to shift and try different approaches to see what works best for my future learners and me. This website covers some tracking tools to help teachers in the classroom. Some are used to identify students who are below grade level; some include behavioural interventions and support; some address IEPs, multi-tiered systems and some other tools connect the curriculum to student learning. The article explores some of these tools in depth, with discussions and videos to help with understanding. I encourage you, as a reader of my blog, to explore this website and other tools for tracking and to learn about different ways to do it.